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Jesus, Jesus everywhere

“Don’t open the myrrh. We can re-gift that to your parents.”

The setting: yet another Roman Catholic church in Spain with my grandson, Avery, 4. The architecture of those old churches lent a feeling of reverence just by entering. I noticed this in my grandson too. Of course they all contained pictures of Madonna and Child. Avery held my hand and quietly whispered, “There’s that Jesus kid again.”

Peggy Rothring Thousand Oaks, Calif.

A visitor to the Rocky Mountain Synod office was impressed and intrigued when reading a memo posted on the office fridge. It read: “Please call Jesus directly: 720-###-#### for any EMERGENCY, maintenance or recycling needs.” Folks do turn to Jesus in emergencies and he was a trained carpenter, but his concern for recycling isn’t so widely known. And it’s not every synod office that has Jesus’ phone number posted on the fridge! What the visitor didn’t know is that the building’s maintenance man is named Jesus Garcia.

Kent Mueller Denver, Colo.

“We wouldn’t be stuck in this manger if you’d have let me pay our taxes online.”

We enjoyed asking my 3-year-old grandson where Jesus lived because he alwaysanswered: “In my heart.” Last December he came to visit us, and we took him to a nearby church to participate in a Bethlehem fair, with real donkeys and sheep, a marketplace and carpenter’s shop, and a live Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. After the experience we asked Adam where Jesus lives, and he replied, “In Batavia.”

Lois LinderBatavia, Ill.

As I offered communion to the assistant at the altar we missed the handoff, and I dropped the wafer on the floor. My assistant exclaimed, “Jesus!” and rushed to pick it up. I was barely able to keep a straight face as I answered, “That’s right.”

Dee MiklosNorton, Ohio

Last year I bought my grandsons, Noah, 2, and Wyatt, 1, a “child friendly” Nativity set. When their mother noticed Noah had put Baby Jesus in the back of his little pickup truck, she asked, “Where are you taking Baby Jesus?” He replied, “I’m taking him to Wal-Mart.”

Linda CuthrellRaleigh, N.C.

Listen up, Joseph

Our granddaughter, Claire, 4, had been acting out the Christmas crèche scene. She sat her 22-month-old brother, Alex, on a chair and told him to hold her doll, Baby Jesus, as she (Mary) had washing to do. Because of Alex’s short attention span, she repeatedly had to place him back on his chair to hold and rock the baby. In desperation, I heard her tell him: “Joseph, you are a very handsome man, but you do not listen very well!”